Archive for the ‘Target’ tag

Have you looked at your business card recently? If not you should. MKTG INC’s cards are known for their unique perspective and purpose (the latter being expressly to embarrass their bearer, natch). This column takes a look at the business cards of our coworkers and hears the stories behind them. Here’s the story behind the business card of Deb Friar, SVP, Business Development in MKTG INC’s Cincinnati office.

You won’t meet many people who love both technology AND being a beachcomber, but Deb is not known as a person who typically takes the traditional route.
From retail management (Target) to brand marketing (Pepsi) to technology marketing services biz dev (Catalina) and from Minnesota (the tundra) to Florida (the beach!) – my path has been anything but traditional.

That trait is especially clear in how she helps her clients see beyond traditional marketing to adopt bolder, community-driven programming.
Clients take the safe route by doing what they’ve done before. It’s the role of biz dev to remove the risk associated with trying something new. It takes patience and perseverance to build trust with prospective clients. I’m fortunate to work with the best and brightest in the world of marketing!

Just don’t ever try to bury her in the sand.
I’m like other biz dev folks – we rise to the challenge!

We kicked off FNO with a stop at the Target pop-up store, which was around the corner from the MKTG INC Headquarters at Highline Studios. They did a great job transforming the space into small storefronts. The highlight for Ric and I was the Odin for Target men’s clothing line that is going to be a huge success. For those unfamiliar with Odin, it is in my opinion one of the best men’s clothing retailers in New York City. In addition to Odin they also had a coffee shop and tableware section with some great stuff. Ross Mathews of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno made a brief cameo (homie is not camera shy in the least) while a DJ kept the crowd entertained. Of course it wouldn’t be FNO without buying something. The Target pop-up had a ton of registers ready for consumers to walk away with some new goodies.

After Target we made our way down to SoHo and quickly found out the recipe for FNO at small boutique shops. Music + booze + security = FNO. Now music can come in two forms; a DJ or a live act. Cole Haan and Camper held it down with dope DJ’s while adidas employed a super hot chick to stand behind some CDJ’s and press some buttons – I refuse to call her a DJ but I will call her hott with two T’s. The highlight musically came from the G-Star store and a band called Lake Street Dive. The singer has some serious soul and an amazing voice. Peep this video to see for yourself.

Overall, FNO was a great time. We tried to get into the GQ pop-up without success but that is ok because we got an awesome photo of the exterior window. While I didn’t see a lot buying taking place, I do believe FNO was successful in helping certain fashion brands reach a wider audience that could turn into sales down the road.